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For the first time Austrians have tied with Germans as the holidaymakers most likely to sunbathe fully nude on the beach. They also enjoy napping on the beach and have no qualms about donning tight-fitting Speedo-style briefs.

A report from travel site Expedia.com questioned 11,165 adults, 18 years of age and older, across 24 countries about their behaviour and preferences when on the beach.

Twenty eight percent of German and Austrian beachgoers reported having spent a day at the beach in the buff.

Worldwide, beach nudity is more common among men (18 percent) than women (six percent). And toplessness is a largely European phenomenon, with Austrians (49 percent), Spaniards (42 percent) and Germans (39 percent) the likeliest to take part.

Twelve per cent was the global average for beach nudity, while 20 percent of female beachgoers worldwide have spent time topless at a beach.

Asian beachgoers are typically more modest - only two percent of Japanese, three percent of South Koreans and four percent of Thai beachgoers have sunbathed nude.

The beach is the most popular destination for travellers. More than one half (56 percent) of the study’s respondents took a beach holiday in the past year.

Nap time

Sleeping was cited as the top beach holiday indulgence, with 46 percent of global beach-goers saying “sleeping in/napping” was a typical indulgence, followed by spending more than normal on food (42 percent), eating more food than usual (41 percent), intimacy with a partner (38 percent) and shopping for things other than clothes (34 percent).

At 69 percent, Austrians were the world’s likeliest to prioritize a snooze.